Harry Gets A Family
by barbi-bee
Summary: To live or die, that is the decision Harry must make


Harry Gets A Family  
  
By Barbi Bee  
  
Dedicated to Lyn and Imhilien whose Friendship helped me through a patch similar to Harry's  
  
It was just before Christmas of Harry's Sixth year that Voldemort attacked and as usual Harry was the focus of the death-eaters attention. What was different though, was that this time he seemed to be the sole point of focus to the exclusion of all else, a fact that members of the Order took full advantage of. So while Harry (with help from class-mates) was fending off the advances of over one hundred death-eaters Professors Snape and Dumbledore had flanked Voldemort and taken him out with a series of rather nasty hexes and curses, ending with the Killing Curse.  
  
Unfortunately the School was damaged badly enough to have to send all the students home while repairs took place. So, Harry, for the first time in six years was forced to spend Christmas with the Dursleys.  
  
Life at no 4 Privet Drive was just as miserable for Harry as it usually was, and with Voldemort gone Harry's depression got worse as he wondered just why he was still alive. Vernon and Dudley did nothing to alleviate Harry's condition, in fact they did all they could to make it worse in the hope that Harry would finally kill himself.   
  
And so, on the night before Christmas Harry took Quill to parchment and wrote:  
  
To Whom It May Concern;  
  
I am no longer required to be the boy-who-lived now that Voldermort has gone, so I no longer have a reason for being on this Earth. Having very few friends and nobody who actually loves me I have decided that now is a good time to join Mum, Dad and Sirius in the After-life.  
  
I never asked for much, just a little love and affection and while Sirius was alive and free I thought I might finally get it but I was wrong. It was my dad he cared for rather than me, I was merely dad's replacement in the marauder circuit.  
  
The Dursley's have never cared for me in any way shape or form. They have in fact gone out of their way to show me just how worthless I really am, to them I'm nothing but a freak. Maybe if they knew of the money at Gringotts things might have been different but somehow I very much doubt that.  
  
Ron, Hermione and the Weasleys thank you for caring, but it was too little, too late. Professor Snape - you at least were honest in your dealings with me and for that I will be eternally grateful.  
  
I, Harold (Harry) James Potter being of reasonably sound mind and body do declare this to be my last will and testament.  
  
To Ronald Arthur Weasley: I leave my Invisibility cloak, my Firebolt broomstick and the Marauders Map, along with twenty percent of the money in Gringotts.  
  
To Hermione Elizabeth Granger:You have no need for any of my personal belongings so I leave you a picture of the Gryffindor trio and twenty percent of my Gringotts account.  
  
To Professor Severus Snape: I leave my picture of my mother, knowing that the two of you were friends. I also leave you my pensieve and twenty percent of my Gringotts account.  
  
To the Weasley Family: I leave fifteen percent of the funds in my Gringotts vault to be used as you see fit.  
  
The remaing funds in my vault at Gringotts are to be used to provide a scholarship fund for those children orphaned in the war against Voldemort, that they might have access to as good an education as is available, whether it be magical or muggle.  
  
Signed   
  
Harold James Potter.  
  
Signing his name to the parchment, Harry sealed it and left it downstairs on the kitchen bench. He then returned to his room, took his swiss army knife out of trunk, selected the finest blade and used it to cut his wrists.  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
Petunia Dursley found it hard to sleep that night, why she didn't know but she just felt that something wasn't right. Thinking that perhaps a cup of tea or even hot chocolate might help she made her way to the kitchen. Filling the kettle she noticed the letter sitting on the bench and opened it while she waited for the water to boil.  
  
Seconds later, she screamed and ran to Harry's room, throwing open the door she took one look at the young boy and picking him up, carried him to the bathroom. Once there she bandaged his wrists in an effort to stop or at least slow down the bleeding.   
  
Picking him up once more she started to make her way to the living room in order to call for an ambulance , but found her way barred by Vernon. He demanded to know what the fuss was about and upon being told, insisted Petunia remove the bandages and return the boy to his room. This way, he said, they would be free of the brat with no repercussions from those other freaks.  
  
Disgusted by the man she had married, Petunia pushed past him and tried to reach the phone. Vernon was quicker however and pulled the phone off the wall. This left Petunia with only one option - she left the house, carrying the dying boy and went to Mrs Figg's house across the street.  
  
Knocking loudly on the door she was rewarded by a light being turned on upstairs. Shortly thereafter the door was opened by an elderly women in a night gown and curlers. Seeing the boy in Petunia's arms she pulled out a wand and cast a few healing spells before heading to the fireplace to floo Dumbledore.  
  
Dumbledore was shocked to see the state Harry was in. He was even more shocked to read the letter the boy had written, he'd had no idea Harry felt like that. Realising that he had done the boy a great disservice over the years by not keeping a closer eye on him, he resolved to make it up to him should the lad recover.  
  
Mrs Figg, Petunia and Professor Dumbledore, with Harry in his arms, flooed straight to the Hogwasrts infirmary. There the dying boy was placed in the care of the school nurse -Poppy Pomphrey, who immediately gave him healing potions to restore some of the blood he had lost before casting both healing and tracking spells. The former to repair the damage that had been done, the later to ensure they were notified if Harry tried once again to commit suicide.  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
With Professor Dumbledore's help, Petunia set about divorcing Vernon on the grounds of both physical and emotional cruelty. Arrangements were also made to have Vernon tried for his abuse of Harry, this trial to be held in a wizarding court. Dudley, it was decided would remain at Smeltings and spend his holidays with his Aunt Marge if Vernon received a custodial sentence.  
  
During the following weeks, Harry came to know that there were people who loved him, not because of his scar or because of his parents but because he was Harry. A boy who needed to be hugged and kissed, yelled at and punished when he broke the rules, praised and rewarded when he did something right but most of all just loved.  
  
Harry used some of his money to help buy Petunia a house in Glasgow, where they had decided to live from now on. He also established the Scholarship fund for Voldermort's orphans he had spoken of in his letter. He asked Professors Snape and Dumbledore to be the Trustees of this fund along with Aunt Petunia as the fund was to cater for both magical and muggle children.  
  
Other witches and wizards contributed to the fund once they heard of its existence as did the parents of some of the schools Muggle-born students. This news was a great help in teaching Harry that his life had meaning and also helped him to decide on a career path. He wanted to play professional quidditch but he also wanted to work as a children's social worker to ensure that no child, no matter what their circumstance, would be forced to undergo the treatment he had received at Vernon's hands. 


End file.
